Category Archives: DIY RPG Productions

David Lewis Johnson‘s kick ass setting, Gathox Vertical Slum (for cool blog info on the setting go here), is now available for purchase on Drivethru PRG. Dave teamed up with me (DIY RPG Productions) to do layout and get the book out. Dave’s setting is awesome and cram packed with his art and personality!

Currently only the PDF is available for purchase. I am waiting for my proof copy of the POD from Drivethru. If it passes inspection, the POD should be on sale shortly! If you purchase the PDF, you’ll receive an email from DIY RPG Productions via Drivethru with a discount to purchase the POD as if you nabbed the bundle!

So the Death is the New Pink POD is still coming. I got the proof, but for some reason two of the pictures backgrounds were screwy and the color on two other pictures came out red instead of pink… sooooo those need to be fixed. Angie needs to fiddle with her pieces, but she’s out visiting family back in MT.

Hopefully by the end of July, I’ll have a new POD proof in my hands that’ll be gorgeous and right- then I’ll put it up for sale.

Based on the Into the Odd rules system, Death is the New Pink is a rules-light RPG that focuses on playing the game and creating the atmosphere rather than complex mechanics and convoluted background fluff. I’m always looking for a game that is good for getting a one-shot to the table that is immediately fun for the players – Death is the New Pink fulfills that desire with fully flavored character creation in minutes and rules that are grokked by everyone just as quickly. The book sites a number of pop culture post-apocalypse influences, but I think the most apt reference is Tank Girl. It paints a wasteland background, but throws out the oppressive/depressing feel and instead opts for a campy fun environment of violent abandon. The artwork and the tone is excellent throughout the book as well. Highly recommended!

and

A fun and colorful post-apocalyptic game, based on the elegant Into The Odd rules. Character generation is fast and throws you a few curveballs, getting you ready to play within minutes.

I hope to have a printed version some day, as the art really deserves it.

Aside: If you’re interested in DIY RPG Productions apparel, you can find that here!

Hubris has been out for a couple months now, both PDF and POD and a few more reviews have come out in that time. If you’re still on the fence about nabbing Hubris, these may answer some of your questions about the setting. Here are a few questions answered here.

In addition to all the previous reviews there is one high point for Hubris- it may have the best section on gods found within all Dungeon Crawl Classics supplements. Other sources provide plenty of wizard patrons and few have paid any attention to clerics and their gods. Hubris not only provides some new examples of the divine, it adds a new spell-like mechanic for calling directly upon them for a miracle. Another high point is the few pages devoted to wizard spell books and how they reflect their master and their master’s patron, if any.

This setting skeleton is just about perfect for a DIY Judge who wants ideas and generators rather than concrete examples. It isn’t a six star product, but it does deserve a five.

And here is another review by an anonymous reviewer:

I suck at writing reviews. I keep trying to start and other than saying “This book is amazing” I struggle to put the words together to express my opinions. Usually because I don’t think I’m critical enough of a product. There’s no way, for example, that a book can be this good…no offense intended to Mike Evans, but nothing is perfect, there are always areas to improve…especially when you’re talking about a monster tome the size of Hubris, and also a company’s first product release? Come on. I’m sure there was tons that could have been done better with Santa is Dead, but I have the luxury of that product not getting scrutinized year round and being viewed through the lens of a christmas farce (although it’s truly anything but, thanks to the amazing talents of Evey Lockhart and team).

But there is nothing bad I can say about Hubris, other than maybe I want more out of it, but I’ve no time to play it. That’s not Mike’s fault though, that’s my own…so even that isn’t a problem with the product in any way, shape, or form.

This is a hefty book that you need to physically have at the table. Not because you need to flip back and forth and reference it constantly, but because you’ll want to. You’ll want to turn to a random page and pull out a detail and use it. You’ll want to throw your players into the middle of this world and set them loose upon a place that yearns to destroy them…no, to change them, to warp them until they are as twisted and infected by the cruelty that permeates this massive landscape.

There are terrible things here, wonderful in their awfulness, and this place begs to be explored in its entirety. Which may be an impossible task; but you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again, as I have, looking for inspiration.

I just wish I had something critical to say. Maybe when I’ve finally run it, and finished it, and can say “There wasn’t enough in this book”, but I honestly doubt that will happen.

Which is a shame, because if the bar is set this high by Mike Evans, what hope do I have of putting out something better?

Even the demon imps that kill your character and eat eyeballs have a good time in Hubris! Art by Wayne Snyder

Hubris is FINALLY out on POD on both Drivethru and Lulu (although Lulu is softcover only)! I am thrilled the Hubris is finally out and done!

I want to thank everyone for their excitement, support, and interest in my book! This project has taken six years of my life to write, but it was a fun challenge and I’ve learned quite a large amount about creating RPG books, project managing, etc.

This isn’t the end for Hubris by any means. I currently have a 3rd level adventure in playtesting that will be released this year (hopefully) as well as a supplement in the future. Also, there are other DIY RPG Productions works coming out this year and next.